How Does Your Java Grow?

A recent survey showed that 83 percent of Americans consume coffee, and 63 percent
drink it every single day.

Globally, coffee consumption is equally pervasive, making it the world's most widely
traded agricultural commodity with annual revenues high into the billions.

Among natural commodities, only oil has more value.

The ubiquity and profitability of the coffee business are probably no surprise to
you. But, have you ever paused to ponder where that aromatic liquid swirling in your
cup originated?

The path from the coffee fruit of more than fifty nations to your cup can be long,
winding, and often a bit obscure. "With most coffees, you have no idea what you are
drinking," said Frank Baldassarre, a 1994 graduate of Widener who is a principal in
Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The company founded
by Baldassarre's fellow Widener alumnus John Sacharok sells about 600,000 pounds of
organic coffee annually.

And there are distinct consequences to coffee consumption you may not have considered.
Dr. Stephen Madigosky, a Widener professor of environmental science, said that growth
in the worldwide demand for coffee has encouraged practices that harm humans and the
planet. "Throughout the developing world, rural coffee farmers are enticed into commercially
producing coffee in the most expeditious, environmentally unfriendly manners possible,"
he said.

Madigosky, who has conducted research in Central and South America where much coffee
is produced, said the demand over the last 30 to 40 years has changed the way coffee
is farmed. Although coffee evolved historically by growing under a canopy of shade
trees, often in rain forests, most coffee farmers now cut down forests for faster
production by growing sun-grown coffee. The sungrown method is faster with higher
output but it requires heavy use of herbicides and pesticides.

One coffee-producing country that has been severely affected by these farming methods
is Costa Rica. "Much of Costa Rica looks like Iowa for the mass production of crops,"
Madigosky said. He said that the trend is reversible, and that responsible production
of coffee can over time restore environments that have been damaged. "We need to convert
these areas back into forests."

But doing so requires paying farmers a fair wage for growing coffee in environmentally
responsible manners and educating consumers on the production methods of coffee. If
you purchase sun-grown coffee, you contribute to deforestation and use of chemicals.
"Coffee consumers often don't realize the choices that they make have great impact
all over the world," Baldassarre said. "Your choices do have an impact."

Enter WU Brew—a Widener-branded, organic coffee harvested under shade trees in Costa
Rica and roasted by Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters. The coffee brings together
Widener alumni, students, faculty, and a Costa Rican coffee farm who share the ultimate
goal of changing the way coffee is produced. Although at $13.99 per bag WU Brew is
more expensive than many other coffees, the price tag of every purchase includes a
financial gift to Widener's environmental science department. The program sends students
to help harvest the coffee and learn about sustainable methods, as well as benefits
farmers using these sustainable methods by paying them fairly.

Sacharok, Baldassarre, and Madigosky don't plan to stop with Widener—they are hopeful
to expand the program to other colleges that would also participate and share in the
research and benefits. "Our goal is to begin applying agricultural practices that
will safeguard farmers, consumers, and ultimately the environment," Madigosky said.
"We seek to change the mentality of how one of the most important crops on our planet
is produced."

The Genesis of WU Brew

The seeds for WU Brew were planted when Madigosky met John Sacharok at a reception
following the speech of food writer Michael Pollan at the Philadelphia Speakers Series
(Widener has sponsored the annual series for the past decade). The professor and the
coffee entrepreneur struck up a conversation and found that they shared common concerns
about healthier and environmentally friendly production of coffee.

Madigosky, a Widener professor since 1989, has been involved in promoting conservation
and sustainable development projects throughout Latin America and is the director
of research at the Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies in Peru.

Sacharok, an accounting major who started at PMC Colleges in 1971 and ultimately graduated
from Widener in 1980, worked for the convenience store chain Wawa Inc., in the 70s
and 80s, rising to the position of director of purchasing and pricing. He earned his
degree part time, often through evening classes. He grew close to Grahame Wood, Wawa's
chief executive who was grandson of the company's founder. Wood, a member of Widener
Board of Trustees, "was like my father," Sacharok said. "He paid my tuition." Under
Wood, Sacharok was responsible for introducing coffee into Wawa stores in the 70s—a
product that is now a trademark of the robust chain—and helped the company to expand.
"My thumbprints are all over Wawa," he said.

Wood died in 1982, and Sacharok left Wawa in 1986 to launch Golden Valley Farms Coffee
Roasters. As sun-grown coffee became a more prominent production method, Sacharok
focused the company on selling only organic, shadegrown, bird-friendly coffee bought
at values equaling Fair Trade or better prices. In addition to Costa Rica, they import
and roast coffee beans from 18 other countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Peru, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. Sacharok says he's not only drawn to the coffee he
buys for its ethical and environmentally responsible production methods, but because
organic, shade-grown coffee is "the best tasting coffee on the planet. The process
develops the flavor much more fully."

After their first chance meeting, Madigosky and Sacharok continued their discussion
and the framework for WU Brew was born. They planned for the beans for the coffee
to come from Las Lajas in Costa Rica, one of only two farms in the country that produces
shade-grown coffee, and the only one growing it organically, and roasted at Golden
Valley Farms Coffee Roasters' warehouse in West Chester. The ten-person operation
is very much a family business (for example, Baldassarre who joined the company two
years ago after a career in banking, is married to Sacharok's sister, Maryann, also
a principal in the company). They are donating a portion of every bag of coffee sold
under the WU Brew label to Widener to fund research trips by students and faculty.
"This project is a win-win situation on many levels," Sacharok said. "We help students
in their research, the earth benefits from sustainable practices, and the Costa Rican
farmers earn a wage that allows them to grow coffee in an environmentally responsible
manner."

An Eye-Opening ExperienceWidener juniors Peter Pulhac and Katie Randolph will never forget the panoramic scenery
on their first rocky ride down a rain-rutted road through the mountains to reach the
tropical farm. "It was a huge valley of coffee beans," Randolph said. Pulhac added,
"You could just see green everywhere."

The two environmental science majors were among six students and two faculty members
who spent 10 days in January on the farm. They were the first of what Madigosky hopes
will be many students to delve into the research and reality of coffee production
in Costa Rica.

Randolph's and Pulhac's research contrasted organic, shade-grown coffee with conventional
coffee farms where pesticide and herbicides are used and natural forests are cleared.
"The shade-grown looks more like a paradise," Randolph said. "The conventional farm
is more like a desert."

The experience opened their eyes to how coffee is produced and the negative effect
that traditional coffee farming has on the environment. They also spent hours harvesting
coffee beans, learning how to pick the fruit and identify ones that were not ripe.
"I definitely have a new appreciation for where my coffee comes from," Pulhac said.

WU Brew, in addition to being available by the bag online, is served at all catered
events on the university's campus and in the Widener Pride Café where Randolph gets
her daily cup of coffee. "Every time I get a cup, I think 'This could be coffee that
we picked,'" she said.

Students from other disciplines have also gotten involved with the WU Brew project.
Three communication studies majors made the trip to Costa Rica and helped to develop
the brand name and a video promoting it. Business students in a summer management
class also connected with Golden Valley Farms Roasters, developing a business plan
to help the company place single-serving machines in office settings.

The project has resonated for Randolph and Pulhac. Both plan to return to Costa Rica
next year, and Pulhac started studying Spanish in order to better communicate with
farmers. They said for them the eye-opening experience of learning how coffee is grown
is a beginning, not an end. "It's a huge step to a better earth and healthier planet,"
Randolph said. "I really want to help the world out by making it cleaner."